Marcos’ private sector advisers urge more pharmacies for remote areas
An advisory group to President Marcos has pushed for more reforms in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), expand the number of pharmacies to reach underserved communities and fast-track the approval of essential medicines to help lower Filipinos’ out-of-pocket costs for healthcare.
“Collaboration between the government and private sector is key to ensuring that every Filipino, regardless of financial standing, has access to quality healthcare,” Paolo Borromeo, the Healthcare Sector head of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), said in a statement on Saturday.
Borromeo and other members of the PSAC’s healthcare sector met with the President at Malacañang last Thursday, their eighth with Mr. Marcos since 2022.
PSAC said it was committed to work with the government “towards a more equitable and sustainable healthcare system.”
Sandbox approach
PSAC told the President that it supported the expansion of community pharmacies, especially in “underserved regions,” to improve Filipinos’ access to essential medicines.
It is exploring a regulatory sandbox approach that will allow licensed pharmacists to supervise multiple pharmacies remotely by utilizing telepharmacy services and enhancing the role of pharmacy assistants.
The PSAC noted the shortage of 27,500 registered pharmacists and the uneven distribution of existing pharmacies across the country.
The advisory group said this highlighted the need for more innovative solutions to improve medicine availability.
The PSAC also advocated for expediting the approval of 14 essential medicines for illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, and various cancers to “further support cost reductions for patients.”
The PSAC statement, however, did not say how the prices of these medicines could be lowered to make them affordable to ordinary Filipinos in both urban and rural areas.
New hospitals needed
The council also pushed for an update of hospital licensing and physical facility standards to fast-track the establishment of new hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
The PSAC proposed a shift to outcome-based regulations “to streamline hospital renewal processes and promote network-based healthcare models for better resource distribution.”
“This reform is crucial, as the country faces a hospital bed deficit amid increasing demand,” it said.
The PSAC said it was working with PhilHealth to expand its benefit packages, upgrade its information technology systems, and enhance its financial transparency amid “recent controversies.”
The advisory group did not say what its stand was regarding the controversies, apparently referring to the government’s move to transfer nearly P90 billion of PhilHealth’s reserve funds to the national treasury for non-health related spending. It’s statement also did not touch on the zero fund allocation for PhilHealth in the 2025 national budget.
PSAC noted, however, that Philhealth’s Konsulta Program was now providing free outpatient consultations and diagnostic tests to more Filipinos, as 21 percent of Filipinos are now covered by the program or up from 0.37 percent in 2021.
For lasting improvements
According to the PSAC statement, Mr. Marcos lauded its proposals and stressed the private sector’s important role in advancing healthcare reforms for millions of Filipinos.
“With the President’s endorsement, the PSAC remains committed to public–private partnerships that drive lasting healthcare improvements, lower healthcare costs, and a stronger health system for the current and future generations,” the PSAC said.
There has been no comment from Malacañang on the meeting between the President and PSAC.
The PSAC is an advisory body that seeks to foster collaboration between the government and private sectors in achieving the country’s economic objectives and offers policy recommendations to the President.
It was established by Mr. Marcos in 2022 and divided into various sectors that group business leaders and experts in agriculture, infrastructure, digital infrastructure, education and jobs, healthcare, and tourism. Aboitiz Group chief executive officer Sabin Aboitiz acts as PSAC’s lead convenor.
Med groups represented
In addition to Borromeo and Aboitiz, the PSAC health sector group that attended the meeting with the President included microbiologist Fr. Nicanor Austriaco Jr., Maxicare Health Corp. president Christian Argos and Diana Edralin, president of Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Association of the Philippines.
The government side that participated in last Thursday’s meeting included Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, Senior Assistant to the President Frederick Go, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Jay Ruiz, Commission on Higher Education chair Prospero De Vera III, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director General Jose Francisco Benitez, PhilHealth acting president and CEO Edwin Mercado, Food and Drug Administration Director General Samuel Zacate, Department of Science and Technology-Health Technology Assessment Council chair Jacinto Blas Mantaring III and Professional Regulation Commission chair Charito Zamora.
